


A snowball's chance

by sabrina



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, First Dates, First Kiss, Flirting, It might not even deserve the T rating but I think there's some language so we'll stick with it, M/M, Oh and drinking and mention of drug use so okay T it probably does deserve, Snowball fights and winter scenes, So sweet it might rot your teeth warning, Soft Kylux, There's coffee because this is one of my Kylux fics and apparently I can't write one without coffee, This is pure fluff, snarking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-11
Updated: 2016-12-11
Packaged: 2018-09-07 20:31:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,147
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8815306
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sabrina/pseuds/sabrina
Summary: The first time that a snowball hit Hux in the back while he walked across the snowy campus, he'd been unable to pinpoint the culprit. The second time he'd been nearly running between the Math hall and the Engineering student center and the only person in sight was a tall art student in a dark hoodie, skinny jeans, and black military boots that came nearly half way up his calves. The third time he was hit while exiting the library, the snowball hit on his shoulder and exploded into his face, leaving frozen bits of water sprinkled in his ginger hair, and him blinking at the sudden assault.
  
Or, Kylo has the strangest ways to ask for first dates ever.





	

**Author's Note:**

> It's been all snow for the entire weekend, and this totally non-canon soft fluffy snowbank of a fic happened. 
> 
> Merry Christmas Kylux fandom, it's been a really fun year with you all. 
> 
> Join my [tumblr](http://jedihafren.tumblr.com/) if you want to hang out with me and these two.

The first time that a snowball hit Hux in the back while he walked across the snowy campus, he'd been unable to pinpoint the culprit. He'd looked around, and really it ought not to have been so difficult considering that the distance between the buildings held very few hiding places and probably fewer still in the all white expanse of the first snowfall of winter, but there had been few people out in the bitter cold betwixt when most walked to class, and none looked as if they'd been interested in throwing snowballs a mere seconds before. He'd dusted off the back of his coat as best he could and trudged onto the library, losing himself in bio-engineering for the next hour and a half before he had to exit and leave for the dining hall before it would close for the night. 

The second time he'd been nearly running between the Math hall and the Engineering student center and the only person in sight was a tall art student in a dark hoodie, skinny jeans, and black military boots that came nearly half way up his calves. Hux had no idea who he was, no idea why he would be throwing a snowball at him, and wrote the entire thing off as bad manners and a pranking spirit. Thankfully, a small bit of snow on the back of his trench coat was unlikely to cause him a great deal of difficulty. 

The third time he was hit while exiting the library, the snowball hit on his shoulder and exploded into his face, leaving frozen bits of water sprinkled in his ginger hair, and him blinking at the sudden assault. As he wiped his sleeve across his face, he blinked, frowning across the open mall in front of him, and sure enough there was the same dark haired man who had been there before. This time he had on a long black coat, with the same boots, and skinny jeans, and a smirk on his face. Hux started to close the distance between them, but the man darted into the art & music building, and by the time Hux had entered he realized it would be a lost cause. Practice rooms lined the corridors off this hallway and he could be in any one of them. 

A search of the student directory (at the expense of sleep, not of his homework) showed the man in question to be named Ben Solo. He was a music/philosophy major, liked Indian food, alternative rock, and single. His favorite quote, somehow predictably from Nietzsche: "the individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself." Hux rolled his eyes and closed the browser. Would that Solo would stop trying to pull him into whatever tribe he considered himself a part of. 

He didn't see Solo for a week, and then right before Christmas break he was hit with not one, but two snowballs. For once he didn't have his laptop bag swung over his shoulders, and Hux bent down and scooped up a handful of snow turning around in the direction from which the bedeviled frozen water had come from and seeing a hooded black figure moving towards the building to duck behind it, he hurled the snowball hard. 

The black coat was turned into a contrast of black and white and Hux's lips turned up in a smirk as Solo turned around clearly startled at the distance with which Hux had just aimed and landed the snowball. It was difficult to see Solo's face across the distance between them, but then he reached up and saluted quickly with his fingers, and disappeared again. 

Hux hoped that this display of strength would be the end of it. 

His hope was proven to be overly optimistic. 

The next time was outside the campus coffee shop, and he had an entire mocha in his hands when the snowball came whirling towards him, slammed into the paper cup, knocking the lid off, and half the mocha out over his hands to fall wasted to dirty the snow below. For a stunned moment Hux stood there and then he whirled around to say "What the fuck do you think you're doing? You owe me a mocha." 

"Yeah, okay," Solo stuck his gloved hands inside the pocket of his overly large dark coat. 

Hux blinked. "Okay?" 

"Yeah, I mean, it was my shitty aim. Is your hand all right?" 

Hux wasn't really certain what to say to this. He'd been wearing leather gloves, so more or less, yes, although some of the coffee had gotten on the trench which would mean dry cleaning it probably. "You weren't trying to hit the cup?"

"Why would I deprive you of coffee?" Solo had stepped closer. "You're wound up enough you obviously need it." 

"I'm not - what?" Hux stared. He didn't know Ben Solo so far as he knew they'd never had a single class together, unless somehow they'd managed to share one of the huge general studies required courses Freshman year. But Solo was treating him as if he knew him, and honestly this entire thing was ridiculous. "Never mind. Just, five dollars please." 

"No." 

"What!?" 

"You've got a grande and you ordered almond milk - that's at least six dollars. But I only have a debit card, so I'll have to buy it for you. And I only will if you stay and drink it with me." 

Anyone else would have withered under the glare that Hux was giving the man, a glare only intensified as Hux realized that despite his own height Solo had a few inches on him. "Are you bribing me into drinking coffee with you?" 

"A date, actually. I'm bribing you into a date," Ben shrugged, and then he grinned, a lopsided grin that honestly was entirely too attractive. "What do you say? Yes? I promise I'll even stop hitting you with snowballs for the next week or so." 

The student directory had noted that Ben was single. He had not specified he was looking for men. Even if he had specified that he was looking for men he was the furthest thing from Hux's type that could possibly be found. 

Except that maybe wasn't entirely true. 

The dark hair had waves, and the broad shoulders spoke of muscles, and even if you couldn't see them under the wannabe individual goth but I really I'm just buying all my clothes from Hot Topic look, Hux had to admit that if he'd been wearing something different, maybe there would have been some interest. But not under these circumstances. 

"If you want a date, then you ask someone for a date, or just get on tender or whatever they're doing these days. Don't assault someone with snowballs until you knock their much needed coffee out of their hands - "

"Fine, will you go on a date with me?" 

"I. Don't. Know. You." Hux pointed out, with over annunciation of each word as he threw a hand out to emphasize this fact, and managed to spill another wave of coffee down the side. "You don't know me." 

"You're Hux. You were in my Political Science class last semester. You had a lot to say," he grinned again. "I'm Kylo."

"You're Ben," Hux spoke irritably and this only gained him a widening of Ben's eyes and a broader grin. 

"You do know me." 

"No, I don't know you," Hux cursed his words. "I just was trying to figure out why you kept hitting me with snowballs - and who you were." 

"So you looked me up."

"No. Yes. For sanity sorts of reasons. Look if you aren't going to buy me another coffee then forget it." 

"I told you the requirements for buying you another cup of coffee. I really don't have cash on me. I mean, I have a dollar," he pulled out his wallet and started digging around in it only to find one crumpled dollar bill and pass it over to Hux. 

Hux stared at it and shook his head, rolling his eyes. Ben - Kylo, whomever he was - stuck the dollar bill back in his wallet with a shrug. 

Hux hadn't been on a date since Freshman year and that had been a bad one. He'd decided he wasn't going to worry about it, and was going to simply focus on his school and that had been more or less what he'd done for the next two years. Now, the first half of his senior year, and he was being courted by a tall, dark, snow-ball throwing stranger. It was almost too absurd to be really considered. 

And yet, despite the absurdity and his total lack of interested in the man in front of him, there was the fact that he wanted a date in the first place and Hux couldn't help but ask: "Why me?" 

For the first time since they'd started the conversation Ben seemed to shrink a little bit, the fact of this only made Hux gaze more intently at him. 

"Because you're smart, and I like your hair, and you've got a good arm, actually. That one you hit me with, that was… good. You're really stuck up, and I'm probably going to regret all of this, but you're cute." 

Hux could feel his cheeks warm despite the cold winter air. It was only the ridiculousness of this entire encounter. It had nothing to do with any of those things that Solo had just noted. "So your name isn't Ben?"

"It is, but only the teacher's call me that. My friends call me Kylo." 

"Why?"

"It's my professional name. Kylo Ren." 

"Your professional name," Hux's eyebrows threatened to raise above his forehead. 

"I'm a bass player and sometimes lead singer for the Knights of Ren. It's a band. If you've visited Piper's Bar & Grill on Friday night you've probably heard us." 

"I don't go to Piper's," Hux replied automatically, but of course Ben was in a band. Of course he was. 

"Of course you don't go to Piper's," and it was Kylo Ben's turn to roll his eyes. 

"What's that supposed to mean?" 

"You're too cool for Piper's right? Nothing but coffee and wine tasting for you, complete with hors d'oeuvres, and a four course meal at Crawfords." 

"What's wrong with any of that?" 

"Nothing's wrong with it. It's just - predictable, and boring, and means you just want to be seen by the right people to be taken seriously." 

"As opposed to fighting the tribe for no better reason than to victimize yourself because nobody likes you?" 

Kylo looked as if he couldn't decide whether to smile or be annoyed for a moment. "Nietzsche." 

"Yes, your quote, very - alternative hipster of you." 

"That's not the point of the quote. The point is to know yourself, not to make people not like you. I've no interest in _trying_ to make anyone do anything. I know what I want and what I like, and that's the important bit of it. Do that, even if it means not being a part of the group. If that makes me hipster, fine, but I think most people would agree that hipsters are a group." 

"And you're not one?" 

Kylo shrugged. "Outside of my band, not really." 

Hux had half a cup of coffee, a stained two thousand dollar Burberry trench, and nearly no patience left. "I need to get to class," he reached over to refasten the lid more firmly on what remained of the coffee as he turned away. 

"Wait." 

Hux turned around wearily. "What?" 

"Come to Piper's tonight, see my band. I'll buy you a drink." 

"That's still a date." 

"Yeah, but it's not bribing you into one. At least not unless you really can't afford a drink. And with that coat, I'd guess you can afford one." 

Somewhere in the distance the bells to ring the hour started, and Hux knew he had about a minute to get into his noon class and he was going to be late. "I'll consider it," he said dismissively. "If you hit me again with a snowball I'm going to talk to someone." 

For most of the next hour Hux tried to focus on statistics in engineering and found himself unable to do so. For most of the afternoon he bemoaned the entire interaction. By dusk when he went to the dining hall and picked his way through soggy vegetables and slightly browning lettuce, he found his thoughts turning to Piper's. 

The truth was he had been to the place once, when he was a Freshman, on the notably terrible date he'd had his first semester on campus and had caused him to swear off all dates for the rest of his school days. It wasn't that it was terrible, it just largely wasn't his scene and not having had any reason to return, he'd kept from doing so. Tonight he dumped half of the plate of food in the trash bin, dropped the plate into the recycling bin, and he returned to his room. 

Twenty minutes later he was walking back against campus, bundled once more in his coat, with charcoal trousers, and a warm sweater underneath. 

Piper's was as loud as he remembered it being, and that included the music being played on the stage. The band seemed to have taken cues from Kylo's fashion sense, but although the music was being played loudly, it was surprisingly not terrible Hux noted as he slid into a booth by the wall, for alternative anyway. 

He ordered a burger and worked his way through it as the Knights of Ren worked through their set, ending with a mellow song about unrequited love that Kylo fronted. His voice wasn't unpleasant, his range was decent, and Hux found his attention caught on the emotion despite himself. The notes ended, the set ended and Hux picked up a now cold fry to consider whether he was going to stay around or not. There was no telling if Kylo had seen him sitting here, and he couldn't help but think it'd been a bad idea to come in the first place even if the band's music had been better than he'd given it credit for. 

He'd reached for his coat and was about to slide out of the booth when motion caught his eye as Kylo Ren slid into it across from him.

"You came." 

There was almost delight in the voice and for some reason it prompted heat in Hux's cheeks. 

"I've been to Piper's before you know," he pointed out as he looked at the plate in front of him. "The dining hall was particularly bad today." 

"Right," Kylo considered this. "How was the music?"

Apparently he was doing this. He'd sat here until the last song and now he was doing this. Hux questioned his life choices, but noticed despite this questioning that there was a warmth in Kylo's eyes, and an enthusiasm in his posture that Hux hadn't seen directed at him - ever, probably. 

"It was…" Hux tilted his head. "Not bad."

Kylo seemed to consider this and nod. "I'll take it. It feels like it might even be high praise coming from you. Have you had a drink? I can get you one." 

"No, just the food." 

"I'll be right back," Kylo grinned and disappeared. 

Hux wondered if his food was settling all right and if a drink was really the best way to help that. He eased his trench back down, and pulled out his phone, setting the timer to go off in thirty minutes. It was an old trick, but it would allow him to disappear with an excuse if things got really desperate. 

Yet, when Kylo returned with two glasses and set one down in front of Hux and pushed his hair back from his face, Hux found himself putting the phone away as he reached to take a drink.

"Do you write your own music?" he asked after a pause that felt almost awkwardly long. 

"Yeah, I write some of the lyrics too. The last one was mine," Kylo said. "I wrote both on that one." 

"It was," Hux hesitated. "I think it was my favorite actually."

"Yeah?" Kylo looked intently at Hux, enough that Hux could almost feel the blood rushing to his cheeks again. He seemed to decide that Hux wasn't lying to him and the grin was less cocky, more surprised and pleased as he nodded: "Cool." 

"Did you get to your class on time?" 

"Today?" Hux shook his head. "No. I can't walk that fast. I was three minutes late." 

"You know exactly how many minutes late you were." 

"Well, yes, I looked at my phone -" Hux looked over realizing the statement had been mocking somewhat. "It's not all bad to be aware of things like this." 

"I know, you're never late." 

"No, I'm not," Hux shook his head. 

"You were always there when I got there. Usually it felt like you were early. I think I came into class twice when you weren't already there, laptop out, ready to take notes incredibly serious." 

"I wanted to be approved for the engineering program," Hux shrugged, refusing to feel shamed for his scholarly interests. "It was essential I get good grades my first year." 

"Did you get an A?" 

"That's none of your business," Hux cautioned, but then he caught Ben's eye and he almost smiled despite himself. "Of course I did. I've got a 4.0" 

"You're in engineering and you have a 4.0?" Kylo's eyes widened. "You must be -" 

"The only student in the school who does have? You'd be right. Although I'm not supposed to know that." 

"Dare I ask?" 

Hux shrugged and took a sip of the alcohol in front of him. "I know someone, who knows someone. What about you? Music, philosophy, what do you plan to do with any of that when you're done?" 

"We're making an album," Kylo's hand went up towards the stage. "We're thinking about starting a kickstarter to fund it. And then, you know, hopefully getting some recognition outside the community." 

"Isn't that all very uncertain?" 

"It's what I was born to do," Kylo said seriously. "My uh, grandfather died when he was young, but he was well on his way to being a star - probably as big as Frank Sinatra or something." 

Something about this felt like something Hux didn't want to poke at and so he simply took another sip of the beer with a shrug. "It's going to be hard to make money with either of those." 

"I don't care," Kylo said. "I mean, I've got a trailer, I can live out of that for a while if I need to." 

"Isn't it cold?" 

"Yeah, but it's not that bad." 

"Do you live in it now?" 

"Nah, I live in the dorm. I will so long as I'm taking classes probably. I'm really only getting degrees because of my parents. They're paying for all this shit, if it weren't for them I'd just be making music on my own terms already. This gig is kind of my personal compromise." 

Despite himself, and maybe it was the alcohol settling in around the burger and the fries and the dim lighting and the candle sitting near the wall, but Hux couldn't help but admire the determination of the man in front of him. It wasn't something he would ever want for himself, but he could recognize the stubbornness that said - if I just keep working a little while longer then I'll get this thing and my life will be where I need it to be. 

"Do you always throw snowballs at people to get them to go out with you?" 

Kylo seemed startled by the change of subject and - was he _blushing_?

"No," he shifted, and took a drink of his own drink. "This is definitely a first for me. It's worked though, so, maybe I'll try it again." 

"I wouldn't recommend it," Hux responded dryly. 

And yet Kylo wasn't wrong that it had _worked_ sort of. The annoyance he'd felt earlier in the day had been replaced by a resignation, and then - now - almost a disappointment when Kylo had to slide out and go back up on stage to play another set of four songs. As he came to a close, he got pulled towards the backstage area and Hux waited for him for a few moments before looking at his watch and realizing that he really needed to go. He gathered up everything, left the drink, and exited Piper's into softly falling snow. 

It was pretty, light outside even though he couldn't see the moon anywhere, and Hux stood for a moment looking up at it. The evening had been - well, it had been different than he had anticipated. It had been almost - _pleasant_? He stepped off the concrete steps onto the sidewalk, and crunched out onto the sound of week old iced snow crunching under newly fallen flakes. He'd made it to the end of the block when a snowball smacked against his back and he stopped, a grin pulling across his face despite himself as he turned around to find Kylo walking towards him. 

"You've got to admit, it gets your attention," he offered in lieu of an apology. "Are you going to talk to someone?"

Hux rolled his eyes, a smile floating to his lips as he shook his head. "I was going to say goodnight and thank you, but I didn't see you," he offered in lieu of his own apology. 

"It's okay, I got stuck; although why do you have to leave so early?" 

"A final in bio-engineering in the afternoon that I still need to study for?" 

"Guess you wouldn't want to ruin that 4.0," Kylo stepped a little closer. 

"No, I wouldn't," Hux returned, his eyes pulling up to Kylo's face. 

They were close enough now that he could reach out and touch him if he wanted to and right now, as snowflakes came down, salting Kylo's dark curls with little flecks, the temptation to do so was almost irresistible. 

It wasn't intended to be that sort of date. 

And he really did have a final tomorrow. 

And it was cold. 

_And Kylo would be warm._ The thought came unbidden, and Hux's eyes fell to Kylo's lips and he realized he didn't care that it hadn't been that sort of date. 

He didn't know whether he moved first or whether Kylo did, but warm, firm lips were pressed against him, an arm wrapped around his back, as Hux brought a hand up to press against cheeks that held a slight five o'clock shadow. Uncertain for a moment if he should move further around Kylo's neck, or stay where he was Hux ultimately did neither, his hand dropping to the chest in front of him to press against that ridiculous coat even as he took a step forward in the snow. Kylo tasted like alcohol and pot and a man who knew what he was doing. As a hand pressed against the small of his back, Hux renewed his pressure against Kylo's lips pushing a tongue against them, and finding no resistance to him having done so. 

When Hux pulled back for a breath, he wasn't certain if his heart was still residing in his chest, or in his throat, and he breathed in the crisp December air, so cold it almost stung in his lungs, such a difference from the warmth that had been pressed around him only an instant before. Kylo was looking at him, his gaze darting between Hux's own eyes and Hux's lips, and he hadn't yet started to let him go, something Hux could find no particular complaint with. The snow was frosting his hair, his eyebrows, the shoulders of his dark coat, and he almost looked as if he'd been caught with a snowball. 

Hux laughed. 

"What?" Kylo's eyebrows furrowed together, not upset so much as confused. 

"Snow, and you, and this -" he waved a hand between them. "Careful, Ren; the next time you see me it's going to be after you've been hit with a snowball, and it's you who will be looking for me." 

"And what happens if I find you?" Kylo's eyebrows raised, the corners of his lips turning up once again into a smirk. 

"Certainly not a repeat of this," Hux's response was low as he leaned forward to close the distance between them once again. 

He still had a final to study for, and a 4.0 to keep, but for the moment there was nothing but the taste and feel of this man, and a gently falling snow.


End file.
